My family and I commemorate ANZAC Day by watching live services broadcasted on TV, looking back on old photo albums of relatives that fought in various wars and by taking some time to reflect and give our thanks.
Who of your relatives were involved, where and when?
None of my relatives that I know of were involved in the First World War, but I had a deceased grandfather that fought in the navy in the Second World War and a great uncle that fought in the Vietnam War.
Why is it important to you and your family?
ANZAC Day is important to my family and I because it's a day when we remember people from both sides of my family that took part in different wars.
My ANZAC Story
Anthony Quigley- my great uncle
My great uncle Anthony Quigley was my grandmother's brother. He lived in Adelaide and was working as a driver when he applied for the Vietnam War on the 20th of April 1967. He had recovered from a serious case of malaria in October but died on the 5th of November 1968 and was attacked by the enemy while on night patrol. The Vietnam War occurred in Laos and Cambodia starting from the 1st of November 1955 and finished on the 30th of April 1975. These images are the only ones that I could find of him.
Valentine Henry Underhill-Pomeroy
Valentine Henry Underhill-Pomeroy was my mother's father. He served in the Australian Navy in the second world war with his brother Maurice. His service number was W7812 and he was from Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. He and his brother volunteered on the 5th of March 1941 when Henry was 20 years old. Before he volunteered he was doing mechanical work. It was thought that he and his brother signed up because they had no family left, and therefore nothing to lose and no one to grieve over them if they were killed.
The text circled red says "Parents dead"
On the 29th of May 1942 there was a warrant issued for his arrest on the charge of desertion, but this turned out to be a false accusation. On the 30th of October 1942 he was arrested for rescuing German sailors and giving his spare set of clothes to one sailor, who in return gave him his hat. Henry's sentence was at least 60 days detention, he would be released when he had paid back 10 pounds which was the total cost of the clothes he gave away. It took 116 days of labor for him to pay back the money. Henry was on a ship called the Centaur that was converted into a hospital in 1943. In November 1941 it had rescued survivors of the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran after it had sunk and been sunk by HMAS Sydney.
In 1964 Henry was awarded the War Medal.
Henry's navy jumper
The document stating both arrests. The text in the red box is for losing clothing.
Kormoran survivors rescued by Centaur
The Kormoran
Henry Valentine Underhill-Pomeroy before (right) and after (left) his service in the Second World War
Reflection
While completing this project, I have learned that information about my ancestors is easier to access than I thought, especially with the Internet. I also learnt a lot more about my grandpa and the things he achieved and the hardships he went though. I learned more about my great uncle as well, and how his life was unfortunately ended. As I read through some of my classmate’s stories, it was very interesting to see what they had found out and even uncovering documents that their ANZAC’s next of kin didn’t know about.
Being involved in this project has changed the way I view ANZAC Day because I think that this project added an element of personal connection. It’s interesting to know that our grandparents also had a place in battles that we learned about. I never knew about my great uncle fighting in the Vietnam War and I knew hardly anything about my grandpa and his time in the Second World War because he never talked much about it. I'm feeling very excited for when the New Zealand students add their own ANZAC story.
My ANZAC Story - Veronica P
What do you do to commemorate ANZAC day?
My family and I commemorate ANZAC Day by watching live services broadcasted on TV, looking back on old photo albums of relatives that fought in various wars and by taking some time to reflect and give our thanks.
Who of your relatives were involved, where and when?
None of my relatives that I know of were involved in the First World War, but I had a deceased grandfather that fought in the navy in the Second World War and a great uncle that fought in the Vietnam War.Why is it important to you and your family?
ANZAC Day is important to my family and I because it's a day when we remember people from both sides of my family that took part in different wars.My ANZAC Story
Anthony Quigley- my great uncle
My great uncle Anthony Quigley was my grandmother's brother. He lived in Adelaide and was working as a driver when he applied for the Vietnam War on the 20th of April 1967. He had recovered from a serious case of malaria in October but died on the 5th of November 1968 and was attacked by the enemy while on night patrol. The Vietnam War occurred in Laos and Cambodia starting from the 1st of November 1955 and finished on the 30th of April 1975. These images are the only ones that I could find of him.
Valentine Henry Underhill-Pomeroy
Valentine Henry Underhill-Pomeroy was my mother's father. He served in the Australian Navy in the second world war with his brother Maurice. His service number was W7812 and he was from Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. He and his brother volunteered on the 5th of March 1941 when Henry was 20 years old. Before he volunteered he was doing mechanical work. It was thought that he and his brother signed up because they had no family left, and therefore nothing to lose and no one to grieve over them if they were killed.
On the 29th of May 1942 there was a warrant issued for his arrest on the charge of desertion, but this turned out to be a false accusation. On the 30th of October 1942 he was arrested for rescuing German sailors and giving his spare set of clothes to one sailor, who in return gave him his hat. Henry's sentence was at least 60 days detention, he would be released when he had paid back 10 pounds which was the total cost of the clothes he gave away. It took 116 days of labor for him to pay back the money. Henry was on a ship called the Centaur that was converted into a hospital in 1943. In November 1941 it had rescued survivors of the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran after it had sunk and been sunk by HMAS Sydney.
In 1964 Henry was awarded the War Medal.
Reflection
While completing this project, I have learned that information about my ancestors is easier to access than I thought, especially with the Internet. I also learnt a lot more about my grandpa and the things he achieved and the hardships he went though. I learned more about my great uncle as well, and how his life was unfortunately ended. As I read through some of my classmate’s stories, it was very interesting to see what they had found out and even uncovering documents that their ANZAC’s next of kin didn’t know about.Being involved in this project has changed the way I view ANZAC Day because I think that this project added an element of personal connection. It’s interesting to know that our grandparents also had a place in battles that we learned about. I never knew about my great uncle fighting in the Vietnam War and I knew hardly anything about my grandpa and his time in the Second World War because he never talked much about it. I'm feeling very excited for when the New Zealand students add their own ANZAC story.
References
Battle between HMAS Sydney and German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran 1941,Photograph, Wikipedia, accessed 18 May 2015, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_between_HMAS_Sydney_and_German_auxiliary_cruiser_Kormoran>.Australian War Memorial n.d., Centaur, Australian Government, Canberra, accessed 18 May 2015, <https://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/centaur/>.
National Archives of Australia n.d., W7812, Australian Government, Canberra, accessed 18 May 2015, <http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=6491299&isAv=N>.
Anthony Vincent Quigley n.d., Photograph, Vietnam Veteran's Honour Roll, accessed 18 May 2015, <http://www.vietnamveteranshonourroll.com/q/quigley.htm>.
Find a Grave 2009, LCpl Anthony Vincent Quigley, No sponser, accessed 18 May 2015, <http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=32839413>.